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Special sections
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New Armed
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Titles
d (abbreviation for died), no full point, eg, d 1997. Likewise b
for born: b 1906
dad and mum l/c in general context, reserve caps for when it is
clear that that is/was the family name in use
Dafydd is the correct spelling of the Welsh name. Daffyd Thomas
of Little Britain is (perhaps consciously) a variant the Welsh are
most unlikely to accept
Dagestan (not Daghestan)
Dail Eireann the lower house of the Irish parliament; usually
just the Dail
Dales, the Yorkshire (cap); or just the Dales
dance See Arts special section
dancefloor
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (no hyphens). Note, capital is Dodoma
Dark Ages caps, but take care; the period after the fall of
the Roman Empire is no longer considered wholly obscure and barbaric
Darwin, Charles write the title of his great work as On
the Origin of Species (usually omitting the words by Means of Natural
Selection)
data strictly plural, but can now be used in singular through
common usage
databank, database
date rape beware of this phrase; in most cases "drug rape"
is the intended meaning
dates Monday, April 18, 1994 (never 18th April); but April
1994. When citing periods of years, say 1992-93 (not 1992-3); for the new
millennium, write 1999-2000, then 2000-01, 2003-09 etc; from 1939 to 1941
(not from 1939-41); the Forties, Eighties, Nineties (or
1940s, 1980s, 1990s) — (but with people's ages, l/c, as in “she was in her
forties, eighties, nineties” etc). Common usage says that the century ended
on December 31, 1999. See millennium
Day 1 cap and figure, as in "it's been happening since Day 1"
Day-Glo (caps, proprietary)
days/months should be abbreviated Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun; Jan
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
daytime, but night-time
day trader, day trading (no need to hyphenate)
day trip, but day-tripper
D-Day, VE-Day, VJ-Day
deaf and dumb avoid this phrase, which is nowadays deemed
offensive. Likewise, avoid deaf mute. The best alternative to either phrase
is "profoundly deaf"
deathbed (no hyphen)
death row (as in American prisons), l/c; hyphen as adjective,
death-row campaigner
debacle (accents unnecessary)
debatable
Debrett, or full title Debrett's Peerage
debut (no accent) is most widely understood as a noun; avoid
using it as a verb
decades use either the Sixties or the 1960s. See dates
de Chastelain, General John (l/c de)
decimals do not mix decimals and fractions in the same story.
See metric, millions, per cent
decimate means to kill one in ten; custom has extended its
use to indicate heavy casualties, but use sparingly
deckchair, as armchair (no hyphens)
decor (no accent)
decorations See honours
de facto roman
defuse means to remove the fuse from, or reduce tension in an
emergency etc; never confuse with diffuse, which means to
spread in all directions, scatter etc, or (as adjective) verbose, not
concise, spread over a large area etc
Degas (no accent)
de Gaulle never cap de in this name unless at the
start of a sentence or headline
de Havilland
de Klerk, F.W. See full points
de la Mare, Walter
De La Rue
DeLorean
De Niro, Robert
de Sancha, Antonia (former friend of David Mellor)
de Valera, Eamon
degrees (educational) a masters, a first, a second, an upper
second (a 2:1), a lower second (a 2:2), a third etc. Abbreviations as
follows: doctorates of literature (or letters), D Lit, D Litt, LitD etc;
Oxford and York have D Phil instead of the more usual PhD. Oxford has DM for
the more usual MD. Cambridge has ScD for doctor of science. No full points
in degrees
degrees (weather) omit degree sign in temperatures. See
celsius
déjà vu (accents but not italic)
deliver, delivery perfect for babies, newspapers, milk on the doorstep,
but beware meaningless overuse in politician and management-speak, eg, "The
key indicators of delivery are moving in the right direction". The word
has become a cliché, so always try to think of an alternative; eg, promises
are kept, policies are implemented, public services are provided,
improvements are made
Deloitte has been rebranded. Except in historical contexts,
eg, when accounts have been signed by Deloitte & Touche, simply use
Deloitte and not, eg, Deloittes, Deloitte Consulting etc. (Deloitte &
Touche LLP is the legal entity through which Deloitte now provides service
in the UK, and to which its UK partners belong; Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu is
the Swiss Verein [association] to which each individual member firm belongs)
demise strictly means the death of a person, or the failure
of an enterprise or institution. Keep to these definitions. It is wrong to
refer to the demise of Glenn Hoddle or Peter Mandelson
Democratic Party (US), not Democrat Party. The adjective is
usually Democrat in other uses, such as the Democrat spokesman (but note the
Democratic convention)
demonstration never shorten to demo except in direct
quotes
demonstrator, but see protester
Deng, Wendi Rupert Murdoch's wife. See Murdoch
Denktas, Rauf (not Denktash), the president (l/c) of northern
Cyprus (l/c because not an internationally recognised state); better to
describe him as the Turkish Cypriot leader. See Cyprus
deny does not mean the same as rebut (which
means argue to the contrary, producing evidence), or refute
(which means to win such an argument). See rebut, refute
departments (government) A full list comprises:
Department of Health (DH)
Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA)
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
Department for Education and Skills (DfES)
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (not the
Environment; Defra)
Department for International Development (DfID)
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
Department for Transport (no longer for Transport, Local Government and the
Regions; DfT)
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), qv
Her Majesty's Treasury (the Treasury)
Home Office
Ministry of Defence (MoD)
Northern Ireland Office (NIO)
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)
Privy Council Office
Depression, the cap for the 1930s economic slump
Deputy Prime Minister (caps); similarly, Deputy Governor of
the Bank of England. But these are the exceptions to the rule that deputy
posts should normally take the l/c, eg, deputy editor
de rigueur roman; not de rigeur
desiccate
desktop (computer, publishing), no hyphen. See laptop
despite perfectly acceptable alternative for in spite of.
But do not say “despite the fact that”; use although
instead
despoiled (not despoilt)
despoliation or despoilment (not
despoilation)
deutschemark/deutschmark prefer not to use either form, nor
D-mark. Use simply the mark, or with figures, DM500 (all now in historic
contexts). See currencies
Deutsche Bank German commercial bank not to be confused with
Deutsche Bundesbank, or Bundesbank, the German central bank
Devil, the (cap); but devils (many, l/c), devilish
dextrous (prefer to dexterous)
Dexy's Midnight Runners despite much evidence to the
contrary, please use the apostrophe
Dhaka (not Dacca), capital of Bangladesh
diabetes: type 1, type 2 etc, no cap, no hyphen
Diaghilev
diagnose take great care: illnesses are diagnosed, patients
are not
Diana, Princess of Wales, at first mention; subsequently the
Princess (cap, as she remained a member of the Royal Family until her
death). Still never say Princess Diana or - even worse - Princess Di or Lady
Di (except in reported speech). Say the late Princess where appropriate.
Note the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund (one comma only). See
Royal Family, Titles special section
Diaspora cap in Jewish context, but l/c in general sense of a
dispersal
Di Canio, Paolo (cap Di every time)
DiCaprio, Leonardo
Dickins & Jones (department store)
Dickson Wright, Clarissa TV cook, no hyphen
Dictaphone is a trade name and must be capped
diehard (no hyphen)
dietitian (prefer to dietician)
different from, and NEVER different to or than;
likewise, differ from
dignitaries
dilapidated (not delapidated)
dilate dilation means normal widening, as in pupils of the
eye; dilatation is widening by force, as in child abuse cases. Take care
dining room (no hyphen)
Dinky Toys cap T (trademark), but Dinky on its own can be
sufficient
diocese cap in specifics, such as Diocese of Chichester or
the Guildford Diocese, but l/c in general use, and l/c diocesan.
See Churches special section
diphtheria, diphthong (note “ph”)
Diplock court a non-jury court in Northern Ireland to try terrorist
cases
Diplomatic Service (caps, as Civil Service)
directives (in EU) l/c in general context, caps when
specific, eg, Working Time Directive
Direct Line and Direct Line Insurance are trademarks and must
not be used in a generic sense even with l/c, as in direct line
companies, direct line telephone insurers etc; in this wider sense, say direct
insurance, direct telephone insurance etc
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)
Director-General of the BBC, CBI, Institute of Directors,
Fair Trading, and the regulatory bodies etc. See regulators,
Secretary-General
Directory Enquiries (despite usual style, inquiries)
disc (musical, recording, or shape, eg, disc jockey, compact
disc, disc brake); but disk in general computing context,
eg, disk drive, floppy disk
discernible (not -able)
discomfit take great care with this verb; it means primarily
to thwart, defeat or rout, but by extension can mean thoroughly to embarrass
or disconcert (noun discomfiture). It has no connection with discomfort,
which means to deprive of comfort or make uneasy
discreet means tactful, circumspect (noun discretion); discrete
means individually distinct (noun discreteness)
disinterested means impartial, unbiased (noun disinterest);
never confuse with uninterested, which means having a lack
of interest
Disney the theme parks are Disneyland
(California); Disney World (Florida); Disneyland
Paris (Euro Disney should strictly be confined to the name
of the European company); and Tokyo Disneyland (owned by a
Japanese company, but Disney earns royalties from it)
disorientate (not disorient). See orientate
dispatch (not despatch), including dispatch box
dissociate (not disassociate)
distil, distilled, distillation
divorcé, man; divorcée, woman; use divorcees
(no accent) in reference to both men and women
Diwali the Hindu festival of lights
DIY spell out do-it-yourself at first mention
D-notice, D-notice committee
Docklands in London, docklands elsewhere
doctor the title Dr should no longer be confined to medical
practitioners. If a person has a doctorate from a reputable institution, and
wishes to be known as Dr Smith, he or she should be so titled. See
appellations
Doctor Who the television time traveller. Roman for the character
(subsequent mentions, the Doctor), but italics for the programme
docusoap, docudrama etc (no hyphens)
dogfight, as bullfight, cockfight etc
dogs l/c with most breeds, such as alsatian, borzoi,
labrador, rottweiler, though there are obvious exceptions such as West
Highland terrier, Yorkshire terrier, Jack Russell etc
Dogs Trust new name (autumn 2003) for the National Canine Defence League
Doha Round of world trade negotiations (as Uruguay Round)
Dole, Bob (not Robert)
dollars with figures use $5 (when American), A$5
(Australian), C$5 (Canadian), S$5 (Singapore) and so on
doll's house (not dolls')
Dolly the sheep (l/c s)
Dome cap "D" in Millennium Dome and when used on its own,
whether as noun or adjective. See millennium
Domesday Book (roman, like Magna Carta), but doomsday
in general or biblical sense
Dominican Republic, neighbour to Haiti, while Dominica
is one of the Windward Islands. Both are sovereign states. See Haiti
donate use give or present wherever possible
doppelgänger ghostly duplicate of a living person. Note l/c and
rom, Anglicised version of German Doppelgänger
Doran, Seán former artistic director of English National Opera
(ENO), spells his name with an accent
Dorchester, the (not Dorchester Hotel)
do's and don'ts
Dostoevsky
dot-com use hyphen for colloquial reference to internet
companies
doveish (rather than dovish)
double bass the instrument
down avoid unnecessary use after verbs, as in close down,
shut down. See up
Downing Street write 10 Downing Street (or 11...), or simply
No 10; note Downing Street policy unit. See Politics special section; also
see units
Downing Street declaration See Ireland
downmarket (no hyphen), as upmarket
downplay prefer play down
Down's syndrome never say mongol
Down Under cap as a colloquialism for Australasia (especially
Australia)
D'Oyly Carte
drachmas, not drachmae (now historical contexts)
draconian (l/c)
draftsman (legal), but draughtsman (art,
design)
drama, dramatic confine their use to the theatrical context
wherever possible; dramatic events and the like are among the
tiredest clichés in the language
Dr Dolittle (italics for the film, roman for the character)
dreamt, not dreamed
drier is the comparative of dry; dryer is
the noun, as in tumble dryer
drink-drive, drink-driver, drink-driving. Note that the
limits are 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath;
and 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood
drivers no hyphens in taxi driver, bus driver, car driver etc
drop a bombshell never in The Times
dropout (noun or adjective - as in students); drop-out
(rugby); and to drop out (verb)
drug dealer, drug dealing, drug smuggler, drug smuggling, drug taking
no hyphens as nouns; but hyphenate adjectives, eg, a drug-dealing cartel, a
drug-smuggling gang
drugs do not confuse narcotics (which include cocaine and
heroin) with other illicit drugs such as cannabis, LSD and amphetamines
Drug Enforcement Administration (US), thereafter DEA
Druid(s) (cap)
Druze (in Lebanon)
dry-clean, dry-cleaning etc
drystone wall
dual (of two, eg, dual carriageway); duel
(fight)
du Cann, Sir Edward
Duchess of York she is no longer a member of the Royal Family
since her divorce. After her first mention as Duchess of York, refer to the
duchess (l/c) subsequently - never “Fergie” or any such vulgarity. See
Titles special section
due to must NOT be used as the equivalent of because of or
owing to. The phrase must be attached to a noun or pronoun: “His
absence was due to illness” is correct; “He was absent due to illness” is
wrong
duffel bag, duffel coat
Duke of Edinburgh say the Duke (cap) or Prince Philip after
first mention; but this cap rule applies only to the British Royal Family
and overseas heads of state, so the Duke of Rutland would become the duke
(l/c) after first mention. See Royal Family, heads of state, titles
dump do not use as synonym of dismiss or sack
Durham say Co Durham for the county and (if any question of
ambiguity) Durham city for the city. See counties
duty-free (hyphenated, noun or adjective)
DVLA, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (not Authority)
dwarf as plural, prefer dwarfs (not dwarves); avoid
“politically correct” circumlocutions such as “person of restricted growth”
dyke (embankment), not dike
dysentery (not dysentry or disentery)
dyspepsia
